The State Hall and five museums in the heart of Vienna

The Austrian National Library is not only the largest library in the country, but also offers you permanent presentations and diverse special exhibitions in the State Hall and the museums – the Literature, Papyrus, Globe and Esperanto Museum and the House of Austrian History.

Immerse yourself in Baroque splendour: the State Hall (located directly at Josefsplatz) forms the heart of the Austrian National Library. It is one of the most beautiful library halls in the world. Emperor Charles VI (1685/1711-1740) ordered the construction of this jewel of profane Baroque architecture for his Court Library.

Over 250 globes and globe-related instruments such as armillary sphere, planetaria and telluria await you in the Globe Museum. The adjacent study collection possesses the oldest globe within the exhibition.

There are around 300 items for you to discover in the Papyrus Museum: from the oldest papyri in the collection from the middle of the second millennium B.C. to the most recent papers from the Islamic time in the 13th century A.D.

The Esperanto Museum of the Austrian National Library provides you, through a modern museum concept covering 80 m2, the eventful history of Esperanto and also focuses generally on the relationship between humans and language.